By Richandall on Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 07:31 am:

Sometimes you get the idea your name's on everyone's list!

Ten days back it was the falco front brake caliper dropping off. Yesterday a main bearing went in the middle of a finely judged overtaking manoeuvre, making it much too fine for comfort. (No, not the falco, the VF500) And then, back on the falco I pulled out from a short column to blitz past 'em and a blindman at the rear (where I had been sitting right behind him in full vision for 30 seconds, waiting for a clear road) pulled out in the same nanosecond to do exactly the same thing in his incredibly battered & underpowered heap of scrap metal, nearly sideswiping me right off the road. Do they do this deliberately or are they just brain damaged?
Anyway, welcome to the world of bank holiday biking!

- Rich

 

By Daz on Wednesday, June 05, 2002 - 10:01 am:

Rich,

It sounds to me like you are having a, er exciting time of things lately!! The fact that you are still alive and well shows that you are either:

a) Your middle name is Lucky
b) You are a good rider
or
c) a and b



Is all good baby, Is all good!!! You are gaining experience rapidly and doing a damn fine job, it has to be said!!

Your next task it to be rammed 3 times by a pyscho car driver and not crash... This actually happened to me!!

Daz 

By Richandall on Thursday, June 06, 2002 - 12:53 am:

Quote--------------------------------------
rammed 3 times by a pyscho car driver and not crash...
-------------------------------------------
Maybe he thought he knew you & was acting perfectly rationally!

Aren't you going to tell us all about it?

BTW It's more by luck than skill that I remain unscathed. But when 2 people have tried to remove you from the earth in ten days it makes you think - but not for long

- Rich

 

By Richandall on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 05:39 am:

Seems the VF500 is a write off. That'll teach me to buy £500 bikes from a pub acquaintance. Only got to fill the tank once. I've blown a monkey on a bag of nuts.

Btw does anyone know where I can get a Spitfire a/c 'new' or old.

So Daz, about that psycho - more, more!!

- Rich

 

By Crmc33 on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 06:32 am:

...as in Spitfire aircraft????? 

By Diablo_Mille_R on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 06:37 am:

I thought you just opened the hatch on those, and 600mph wind at 10,000ft serves quite well as aircon.  

By Richandall on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 07:04 am:

Yes. I want a flying repro and have an acquaintance who wants the real McCoy - he thinks can afford it at £1m+. But 80% scale flying reps go for much less!

You can get a wooden MK IX Spit (don't larff) designed on the same lines as the DH Mosquito and apparently they go like sh*t off a shovel.

Haven't decided if I want to try a consortium or go solo.

Rich - you take off & land with the hood back 'cos you can't see forward without sticking your head out the side but don't see too many runways at 10,000 feet!

- Rich

 

By Daz on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 07:11 am:

Bloomin' hell!?! Who say's it's a write off Rich? Maybe you could break it if there's a VF500 forum or something?

Psycho - god, he was a nutter alright. It was rush hour on a dual carriage way and I squeezed in front of him, between him and a great big Land Rover (he was in an old escort). The prat takes offense at this (we're all only doing about 40mph, waiting for the slow cars to move over or speed up) and starts blaring his horn.

I just carry on, waiting for the Rover to move over when the nutter rams me in the rear tyre! WTF!?!? It's at this point I should have nipped down the middle of the two lanes and got out of there but instead I start slowing down out of shock more than anything. He rams me again. Nice eh?
Next thing I know I see a bonnet out the corner of my left eye aiming straight for me - the nut had swerved into the inside lane and then angled for me!!! I tried to swerve but there was nowhere to go but the reservation and he hit me right on the left footpeg and calf. *$%£%*£$!!!

Then, wedged between his car and the curb I basically just leant against the car as it went past - leaving nice long scratches all down the side of his car and breaking my footrest hanger, bending the gear change lever in and major scuffs along the R6's fairing and engine cover.

Somehow I managed to stay on once he had gone past and I watched as he serenly moved back over into the left hand lane and continued down the road. Unreal.

I followed him, all the time trying to get the gear lever to work again, which finally I did by kicking it around.
I ended up following him to his destination, despite me blaring my horn constantly, flashing my lights and basically doing everything I could to get the w*nker to stop! Nothing.

The next bit stunned me - when he got out the car and I approached him (I know, I should have just punched his face in) he said
"What are you following me for?"

????? Speechless. In hindsight I think he thought that he had knocked me off the bike and I was actually another biker who had seen the incident.

When I said
"You just tried to knock me off my bike!" he realised it was me and then just completely flipped. We ended up screaming at each other and he slammed his boot down and smashed his hatch window. Prick.

I was absolutely gobsmacked when I saw young kids get out the car!! What a maniac! He put his own kids lives in danger!

Anyway, the cops came and took the statements and they said he was claiming that I rammed him. LOL! WTF?! He said that I was trying to kill HIM. LOL!! How, by wedging myself under his car. Oh right!

Anyway, the police said that it was fifty fifty (!) and that they'd appeal for witnesses - a tiny article in the local paper was in the next issue but no-one came forward so that was that.

I tried to make a complaint about it but the cops fobbed me off and even when I questioned his failure to stop at the scene of a road accident they just said that that had been dealt with.

It's not three years yet so I guess I could still make a private claim for compensation but christ, I couldn't believe the cops attitude. This guy had intentionally tried to knock me off my bike, essentially attempted murder and they couldn't have cared less.

What really got my goat three months later was when on the local evening news a main story was the ramming of a police biker!! GRRRRRRR!!! There was a high ranking officer giving an interview saying it was nothing less than attempted murder. Utter utter wankers. Sorry but that's how I feel.

Daz  

By Richandall on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 07:43 am:

That's appalling. Yet these people exist out there and truly they should be locked up. Police aren't interested in mounting a case unless its a 90 percenter as the CPS would throw it straight back in their faces. Unless as you say, they're helping one of their own. The CPS is mostly to blame with their ridiculous self-imposed 'success targets'. What you needed was a bit of realistic support from the fuzz and an explanation why it would need to be a private prosecution.

Sorry I asked - it all sounds not-at-all funny

Glad you were all right tho'

- Rich

 

By Rca on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 09:58 am:

Don't suppose you know the escort drivers name and address. Somebody on here might have some mates who could teach him a lesson.  

By Diablo_Mille_R on Friday, June 07, 2002 - 11:29 am:

Richandall,

Ever thought about a P-51....? I used to spend a bit of time in the USA and hang around a bit with Jack Roush. He bought himself 'Old Crow', Bud Andersons P-51 from WW2. They have RR Merlins in and I was working for RR at the time so got some info through the museum. I know Jack got fed up of buying crap s/h parts for the Merlins (a lot were actually destined for tanks as Griffins as they were deemed not airworthy, but found their way back into aircraft) so started manufacturing his own parts such as pistons, valves etc etc. I suppose owning your own racecar company helped there. Anyway, Jack has a shed absoutely full of Merlin stuff, and knows his P-51's pretty well, together with a few people he knows with Spitfires. If you need info, or are serious about looking for an original Spitfire or P-51 he knows a useful amount of info. Drop me mail if I can do anything to help. I suppose Reno is a good place to start research too.

Chers,
Rich  

By Richandall on Monday, June 10, 2002 - 07:13 am:

Thanks for the info Rich. I've replied direct email (as its a bit too off-thread even for us!).

But anyone else got ideas I'd like to hear.
More links at: Spitfire

- Rich